The concept of truth for Plato

The concept of truth for Plato

The years that separated Plato and Aristotle were not many, However the social and political context had changed.

The crisis of the polis was irreversible and the Greek citizen was no longer at the center of political management. He was included in a governmental wider.

This produced a loss on the part of individuals of passion for politics and a development of new interests.

The truth implies, following purely formal and logical reasoning l ’ existence of an untruth, or something fake. These two distinctions you need to associate a particular notion or specific knowledge to define truth as such.

I therefore find it reasonable since the general conception of knowledge and knowledge to define the concept of truth for Plato.

Plato believed in political purpose of knowledge and had a hierarchical and vertical worldview.

The philosophy, Turning to a higher ’ presented itself as a superior knowledge. The other sciences were instead at a lower level. You must remember that Plato had a dualistic vision in the epistemological and ontological scope ’ since pitting science all ’ opinion and ideas on things.

Thanks to this distinction were then two opposing worlds, one of the things perfect (ideas) and another of things imperfect (opinion, World of shadows). Starting from this conception developed a theory that knowledge, that leads to the vision of true things, of truth (which is presented as absolute truth, not as we know it today a concept very likely or safe) innate in man is already ’ and thanks to ’ experience this is awoken.

According to Plato's theory of ideas the proper object of science are ideas. Ideas are immutable and perfect entity constituting, along with other ideas, a zone d ’ be different, the supercelestial (where are the perfect specimens of things). The ideas can be divided into two kinds: ideas values (corresponding to the Supreme ethical values) and mathematical ideas (corresponding to the amount of arithmetic and geometry).They have a very specific hierarchy where the vertex is l ’ idea of good, to which any ideas aspire. The truth in Plato is thus presented as a ’ entity that represents the ’ only knowledge can, which differs from untruth, We could define opinions (Doxa), for its direct relation with science (the superior knowledge) and in particular with math (and the numbers), fundamental structure of the world.

Through some myths (in particular the winged chariot) Plato presented his conception of ’ soul.

L ’ soul is therefore the place where knowledge resides. L ’ soul which will include more perfect linking entities in ’ man dedicated to the study and knowledge. The concept of truth for Plato (or rather the truth itself) is thus presented as a ’ entity. To this extent the higher cognitive purposes for a degree is sucked. It can be reached only by contemplating the entities equally perfect and certain.